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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · club · pitcher · leaves · cabinet · wound · pitch · racket

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. club — a group
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. club — for dancing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com